Communication method, communication system, and user equipment

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to secure provisioning of UE mobility restriction by extending neighbour relation tables to include mobility restrictions in addition to neighbour cell information and sending neighbour cell restriction information (per UE) to the UE, gNB, UE and gNB. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus and a system for mapping mobility restrictions with TA list and sending the TA list along with the Handover Restriction List during handover.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the method of communication.Specifically the present invention relates to a method of preventing aUser equipment movement into the forbidden zone while in the activestate.

BACKGROUND ART

The mobile communication is evolving steadily and the performance ofdifferent implementations have been increasing significantly. Theprovisioning of the advanced technologies in the smartphones havefurther increased the reliability on advanced technologies. Further, newapplications provisioned for the advanced technologies have alsoincreased the demand of such technologies with minimum infrastructure.The fourth generation technology have also increased the traffic onmobile networks and also diversified the mobile networks due to drivingdemand.

Further, while in a mobile network, manually provisioning and managingneighbor cells in traditional mobile network is a challenging task andit becomes more difficult as new mobile technologies are being rolledout while 2G/3G cells already exist. For LTE, task becomes challengingfor operators, as in addition of defining intra LTE neighbour relationsfor eNBs operator has to provision neighboring 2G, 3G, CDMA2000 cells aswell. Further, the mobile network also consists of several mobilerestrictions.

TS 23.501 V0.4.0 (2017-04) clause states that “Mobility restrictionsconsists of RAT restriction, forbidden area, and service accessrestrictions as follows:

RAT restriction:

Defines the 3GPP Radio Access Technology (ies), a UE is not allowed toaccess. In a restricted RAT a UE is not permitted to initiate anycommunication with the network.

Forbidden area:

In a Forbidden area under a given RAT, the UE is not permitted toinitiate any communication with the network.

Service access restrictions:

Defines areas in which the UE may or may not initiate communication withthe network as follows:

Allowed area:

In an allowed area under a given RAT, the UE is permitted to initiatecommunication with the network as allowed by the subscription.

Non-allowed area:

In a non-allowed area under a given RAT, a UE is service accessrestricted. The UE is not allowed to initiate Service Request or SMsignalling to obtain user services (both in CM-IDLE and in CM-CONNECTEDstates). The UE shall perform periodic registration updates and normalregistration updates due to mobility. The UE in a Non-allowed area shallrespond to core network paging.

For a given UE, the core network determines the service arearestrictions based on UE subscription information. Optionally theallowed area may in addition be fine-tuned by the PCF e.g. based on UElocation, and network policies. Service area restrictions can be changeddue to, e.g. subscription, location, and/or policy change. Service arearestrictions may be updated during a Registration procedure.”

Further, TS 36.300 V14.2.0 (2017-03) clause 22.3.2a mentions anAutomatic Neighbour Relation Function, which resides at the eNB andmanages the Neighbour Relation Table (NRT).

For each NR, the NRT contains the Target Cell Identifier (TCI), whichidentifies the target cell. For E-UTRAN, the TCI corresponds to theE-UTAN Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) and Physical Cell Identifier (PCI)of the target cell. Furthermore, each NR has three attributes, the NoRemove, the NoHO and the NoX2 attribute.

It also mentions that “eNBs shall keep neighboring eNBs updated with thecomplete list of served cells while the X2 interface is operational”.

According to 3GPP specifications, the purpose of the Automatic NeighbourRelation (ANR) functionality is to relieve the operator from the burdenof manually managing Neighbor Relations (NRs).

FIG. 1 shows ANR and its environment as per 3GPP. It shows interactionbetween eNB and O&M due to ANR.

Located within ANR, the Neighbour Detection Function finds newneighbours and adds them to the NRT. ANR also contains the NeighbourRemoval Function which removes outdated NRs. The Neighbour DetectionFunction and the Neighbour Removal Function are implementation specific.

An existing Neighbour cell Relation (NR) from a source cell to a targetcell means that eNB controlling the source cell knows the ECGI/CGI andPhysical Cell Identifier (PCI) of the target cell and has an entry inthe NRT for the source cell identifying the target cell.

For each cell that the eNB has, the eNB keeps a NRT. For each NR, theNRT contains the Target Cell Identifier (TCI), which identifies thetarget cell. For E-UTRAN, the TCI corresponds to the E-UTAN Cell GlobalIdentifier (ECGI) and Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) of the target cell.

The ANR function relies on cells broadcasting their identity on globallevel, E-UTRAN Cell Global Identifier (ECGI) and allows O&M to managethe NRT. O&M can add and delete NRs. It can also change the attributesof the NRT. The O&M system is informed about changes in the NRT.

However, it may be possible that a UE in the 5G network may be handedover to the restricted zone when it is being served by a given slice. Asa result, the UE loses service access and is not able to initiate anyconnection with the network. Further, the information on mobilityrestrictions may be tampered which can result in the UE landing in theforbidden zone.

Therefore, there is a requirement wherein the UE should stay within theallowed zone and not go to forbidden zone while UE is being served by agiven slice and the information on mobility restrictions should not betampered (must be integrity protected).

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the subject matter inorder to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of subject matterembodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of the subjectmatter. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of theembodiments or to delineate the scope of the subject matter.

In order to overcome the problems as discussed above, the presentinvention provides solutions wherein in one aspect, it is proposed thatby extending neighbour relation tables to include mobility restrictionsin addition to neighbour cell information, the problem can be solved.

In another aspect of the present invention, it is proposed to send theneighbour cell restriction information (per UE) to the UE, gNB, UE andgNB.

A further aspect of the present invention provides mapping mobilityrestrictions with TA list and sending this along with the HandoverRestriction List during handover.

The solutions proposed by the present invention provides a technicaladvantage of secure provisioning of mobility restriction to the UE & gNBin a given location, preventing UE movement to restricted area duringconnected state, Mapping mobility restriction with Tracking area listand extending NR table functionalities.

In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a methodfor a User

Equipment (UE) wherein the method comprises of sending a measurementreport from the UE to next generation nodeB (gNB); checking mobilityrestriction on a target cell in a neighbour relation (NR) table storedin the gNB; performing a handover on allowing the target cell by thegNB; and restricting handover to the cell on non-allowance of the targetcell by the gNB, wherein the gNB notifying the UE to re-transmit themeasurement report on non-allowance of the target cell by the gNB. ThegNB verifies the allowed target cells on reception of the measurementreport from the UE, wherein the mobility restrictions for the cells inthe NR table are mapped to the entries of an automatic neighbourrelation function (ANR). The gNB further sends a request messagecomprising a SETUP request to an access management function (AMF) forthe mobility restrictions per target cell, wherein the gNB updates theNR table on receiving the response from the AMF, wherein the responsecomprises of mobility restriction per target cell identifier. The gNBfurther sends a request message comprising a configuration update to theAMF, and on receiving the response from the AMF updating the NR table bychanging the mobile restriction per target cell identifier.

In another embodiment of the present invention there is provided acommunication method between at least one UE and at least one gNB over awireless network, wherein an ATTACH (ACH) request message is sent to anAMF from the UE and the UE is authenticated. The AMF verifies the UEsubscription and location information and the policies for UE mobilityby a policy control function (PCF) is verified. Then an NAS SM commandmessage is sent by the AMF to the UE wherein the NAS SM commandcomprises of mobility restrictions information. The mobilityrestrictions are stored in a database of the UE. Further, the NAS SMcomplete message is sent by the UE to the AMF in an integrity protectedmessage wherein the received mobility restrictions is verified by theAMF sent by the UE in the integrity protected message and thereafter theUE mobility restrictions are sent to the gNB by the AMF.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a communicationmethod between at least one UE and at least one gNB over a wirelessnetwork, wherein an ATTACH request message is sent to an AMF from the UEand the UE is authenticated. An NAS SM to the AMF by the UE. The AMFverifies the UE location information, gNB ID and integrity of theE-UTRAN cell global identification (ECGI) list and sends an InitialContext Setup Request message to the gNB. Further, the UE mobilityrestrictions is stored in a database of the gNB and thereafterestablishes AS Security with the UE wherein the UE acknowledges the ASsecurity with the gNB.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method in betweenat least one UE and at least one gNB over a wireless network, wherein atracking area update (TAU) procedure is triggered by the UE and a TAUrequest is sent by the UE to the new AMF via the gNB. Further, a ContextRequest message is sent by the New AMF to the old AMF wherein the oldAMF sends the UE contexts to the new AMF. The location of the UE isupdated the new AMF to a unified data management (UDM) and a PCFverifies the policies for the UE mobility for new AMF. The AMF updatesthe UE mobility restrictions to the gNB. The gNB stores the UE mobilityrestrictions in a database of the gNB and sends an acknowledgement of UEmobility restriction update to the new AMF wherein a TAU ACCEPT messageis sent to the UE by the new AMF. The UE mobility restrictions arestored on a database of the UE and wherein a TAU COMPELTE message issent by the UE to the new AMF. Further, for an Xn handover the AMF sendsthe UE mobility restrictions to the gNB in a path switch response andthe UE mobility restrictions to the UE in a handover command. In an N2handover the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictions to the target gNB ina handover request and the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in ahandover command. The mobility restrictions are updated at the UE forevery TAU and the mobility restrictions of the UE are mapped with the TAwherein the mapping information is stored with a tracking area identity(TAI) list. Further, when a tracking area (TA) is listed as Forbiddenthe handover is rejected. Further, a source NG (R)AN requests themobility restriction of the UE in a target NG (R)AN to the AMF beforeHandover Request is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a communicationsystem comprises of different means for sending a measurement report tonext generation nodeB (gNB); for checking mobility restriction on atarget cell in an NR table stored in the gNB; for performing a handoveron allowing the target cell by the gNB; and for restricting handover tothe cell on non-allowance of the target cell by the gNB; wherein on thenon-allowance of the target cell by the gNB, the gNB notify the means tore-transmit the measurement report. The means transmitting themeasurement report to the gNB for further verification of the allowedtarget cells wherein the mobility restrictions for the cells in the NRtable are mapped to the entries of an ANR. The gNB sends a requestmessage comprising a setup request to an AMF for the mobilityrestrictions per target cell and updates the NR table on receiving theresponse from the AMF, wherein the response comprises of mobilityrestriction per target cell identifier. The gNB further sends a requestmessage comprising a configuration update to the AMF, and on receivingthe response from the AMF updating the NR table by changing the mobilerestriction per target cell identifier.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a communicationsystem of a wireless network, wherein the system comprises of differentmeans for sending an ATTACH request message to an AMF; for verifying aUE subscription and location information; for verifying the policies forUE mobility; for sending to the UE an NAS SM command message wherein theNAS SM command comprises of mobility restrictions information; forstoring the mobility restrictions in a database; for sending NAS SMcomplete message to the AMF in an integrity protected message; forverifying the received mobility restrictions sent by the UE in theintegrity protected message; for sending the UE mobility restrictions toa gNB.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a communicationsystem comprising at least one UE and at least one gNB over a wirelessnetwork, the system comprises of different means for sending an ATTACHrequest message to an AMF; for authenticating the UE; for sending an NASSM to the AMF; for verifying the UE location information, gNB ID andintegrity of the ECGI list; for sending an Initial Context Setup Requestmessage to the gNB; for storing the UE mobility restrictions in adatabase; for establishing AS Security with the UE; for acknowledgingthe AS security with the gNB.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention a communicationsystem is provided comprising at least one UE and at least one gNB overa wireless network, wherein the system comprises of different means fortriggering a TAU procedure; for sending a TAU request to a new AMF viathe gNB; for sending a Context Request message to the old AMF whereinthe old AMF sends the UE contexts to the new AMF; for updating thelocation of the UE to the UDM; for verifying the policies for UEmobility for new AMF; means for updating the UE mobility restrictions tothe gNB; means for storing the UE mobility restrictions in a database ofthe gNB; for sending an acknowledgement of UE mobility restrictionupdate to the new AMF; for sending a TAU ACCEPT message to the UE; forstoring the UE mobility restrictions on a database of the UE; forsending a TAU COMPELTE message to the new AMF. For an Xn handover theAMF sends the UE mobility restrictions to the gNB in a path switchresponse the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in a handover command.However, in an N2 handover the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictions tothe target gNB in a handover request the UE mobility restrictions to theUE in a handover command. The mobility restrictions are updated at theUE for every TAU and are mapped with the TA, wherein the mappinginformation is stored with a TAI list. When the TA is listed asForbidden the handover is rejected. However, a source NG (R)AN requeststhe mobility restriction of the UE in a target NG (R)AN to the AMFbefore Handover Request is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention a user equipment fora communication in a wireless network is provided wherein a processor isconfigured to send a measurement report to next generation nodeB (gNB)wherein the gNB checks the mobility restriction on a target cell in anNR table stored therein and performing a handover on allowing the targetcell by the gNB, the gNB is further configured to restrict handover tothe cell on non-allowance of the target cell, wherein the gNB causes theprocessor to retransmit the measurement report on the non-allowance ofthe target cell. The gNB is further configured to verify the allowedtarget cells on reception of the measurement report from the processorwherein the mobility restrictions for the cells in the NR table aremapped to the entries of an ANR. The gNB is also configured to send arequest message comprising a setup request to an AMF for the mobilityrestrictions per target cell and to update the NR table on receiving theresponse from the AMF, wherein the response comprises of mobilityrestriction per target cell identifier. The gNB is also configured tosend a request message comprising a configuration update to the AMF, andon receiving the response from the AMF updating the NR table by changingthe mobile restriction per target cell identifier.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention a user equipment fora communication in a wireless network is provided wherein a processor isconfigured to send an ATTACH request message to an AMF, the AMF onauthenticating the processor, is configured to verify the UEsubscription and location information and a PCF is configured to verifythe policies for the processor, the processor is further configured toreceive an NAS SM command message from the AMF wherein the NAS SMcommand comprises of mobility restrictions information; a memoryconfigured to store the mobility restrictions in a database of the UE;the processor is configured transmit an NAS SM complete message to theAMF in an integrity protected message wherein the AMF is configured toverify the received mobility restrictions transmitted by the processorin the integrity protected message and sending the UE mobilityrestrictions to the gNB by the AMF.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention a user equipment fora communication in a wireless network is provided wherein a processor isconfigured to send an ATTACH request message to an AMF, the AMF isconfigured to authenticate the processor, the processor is furtherconfigured to send an NAS SM to the AMF wherein the AMF verifies the UElocation information, gNB ID and integrity of the ECGI list and sendingan Initial Context Setup Request message to the gNB, wherein the gNBcomprises a memory for storing the UE mobility restrictions in adatabase and the gNB is further configured to establish AS security withthe UE wherein the UE acknowledges the AS security to the gNB.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention a user equipment fora communication in a wireless network is provided wherein a processor isconfigured to trigger a TAU procedure and to transmit a TAU request tothe new AMF via the gNB, the new AMF is configured to transmit a ContextRequest message to the old AMF wherein the old AMF transmits the UEcontexts to the new AMF, the new AMF updates the location of the UE to aUDM and wherein a PCF verifies the policies for UE mobility for the newAMF, the new AMF is further configured to update the UE mobilityrestrictions to the gNB, the gNB comprises a memory for storing the UEmobility restrictions in a database and configured to transmit anacknowledgement of UE mobility restriction update to the new AMF andcauses the new AMF to transmit a TAU ACCEPT message to the UE, whereinthe UE comprises a memory for storing the mobility restrictions in adatabase and configured to transmit a TAU COMPELTE message to the newAMF. For Xn handover the AMF is configured to transmit the UE mobilityrestrictions to the gNB in a path switch response. The AMF is alsoconfigured to transmit the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in ahandover command. In an N2 handover the AMF is configured to transmitthe UE mobility restrictions to the target gNB in a handover request. Ina handover command the AMF is configured to transmit the UE mobilityrestrictions to the UE wherein the mobility restrictions are updated atthe UE for every TAU and wherein the mobility restrictions of the UE aremapped with the TA. The mapping information is stored with a TAI listwherein when the TA is listed as Forbidden the handover is rejected.Further, a source NG (R)AN requests the mobility restriction of the UEin a target NG (R)AN to the AMF before Handover Request is sent to thetarget NG (R)AN.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of thepresent subject matter will become apparent from the followingdescription of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numerals are used to represent like elements.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings along with thereference numerals illustrate only typical embodiments of the presentsubject matter, and are therefore, not to be considered for limiting ofits scope, for the subject matter may admit to other equally effectiveembodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates ANR and its environment as per 3GPP. It showsinteraction between eNB and O&M due to ANR.

FIG. 2A illustrates a handover method in accordance with the presentdisclosure method.

FIG. 2B illustrates a handover method in accordance with the presentdisclosure method.

FIG. 2C illustrates a handover method in accordance with the presentdisclosure method.

FIG. 2D illustrates a handover method in accordance with the presentdisclosure method.

FIG. 3 shows sending neighbour cell restriction information (per UE) tothe UE in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a procedure sending neighbour cell restrictioninformation (per UE) to the gNB in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram showing the procedure for sendingneighbour cell restriction information (per UE) in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a procedure for provisioning UE Mobility restrictionsduring Idle Mode Mobility.

FIG. 7 illustrates a procedure for restricting HO to Forbidden Zone.

FIG. 8 illustrates a User Equipment in communication with a wirelessnetwork.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments now will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey its scope to those skilled in the art. The terminology used inthe detailed description of the particular exemplary embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting.In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

It is to be noted, however, that the reference numerals in claimsillustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter, andare therefore, not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for thesubject matter may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) inseveral locations. This does not necessarily imply that each suchreference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only appliesto a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments mayalso be combined to provide other embodiments.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. Itwill be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”,“including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specifythe presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when anelement is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to anotherelement, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element orintervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or“coupled” as used herein may include operatively connected or coupled.As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations andarrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It willbe further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

The figures depict a simplified structure only showing some elements andfunctional entities, all being logical units whose implementation maydiffer from what is shown. The connections shown are logicalconnections; the actual physical connections may be different. It isapparent to a person skilled in the art that the structure may alsocomprise other functions and structures.

Also, all logical units described and depicted in the figures includethe software and/or hardware components required for the unit tofunction. Further, each unit may comprise within itself one or morecomponents which are implicitly understood. These components may beoperatively coupled to each other and be configured to communicate witheach other to perform the function of the said unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 2(A), FIG.2(B), FIG.

2(C) and FIG. 2(D), a method of communication for securing theprovisioning of User Equipment (UE) mobility restriction by extendingthe neighbour relation table in addition to neighbour cell informationis described.

The gNB on initial S1 setup and configuration updates may request theAMF for mobility restrictions per cell. A detailed operation of settingup the restrictions are discussed in the document (3GPP TS 36.413V14.2.0 (2017-03)). The gNB sends a S1 Setup Request to the Access andMobility function (AMF) and upon receiving the S1 Setup Response fromthe AMF to the gNB, updates the Neighbour relation (NR) table. A tablesuch as ANR as referred to the document (TS 36.300 V14.2.0 (2017-03)) isavailable at the gNB containing neighbouring cell information. Thistable consists of the {TCI (PCI+ECGI), No remove, No HO, No X2}.

Further, the updating of restrictions are also discussed in detail inthe aforementioned document. For example, in case configuration updatesare required, the message sequence as represented in FIG. 2(B) may beused to request the AMF for mobility restriction updates per cell.

FIG. 2 (C), describes the handover method wherein at (201), a UE sends ameasurement report to a next generation nodeB (gNB). The gNB uponreceiving the measurement report received from the UE checks at (202),the mobility restriction on a target cell in a neighbour relation (NR)table stored in the gNB. Upon checking the mobility restriction at(203), if the cell is allowed, it performs handover at (205). However,if at step (203), the target cell is not allowed, the gNB at (204),restricts the handover to the cell and informs the UE to send themeasurement report again. The gNB verifies the allowed target cells eachtime on reception of the measurement report from the UE, wherein themobility restrictions for the cells in the NR table are mapped to theentries of an automatic neighbour relation function (ANR). The gNB alsosends a request message comprising a SETUP request to an accessmanagement function (AMF) for the mobility restrictions per target cell,wherein the gNB updates the NR table on receiving the response from theAMF. The response received from the AMF comprises of mobilityrestriction per target cell identifier. The gNB is also configured tosend a request message comprising a configuration update to the AMF, andon receiving the response from the AMF, the gNB updates the NR table bychanging the mobile restriction per target cell identifier.

In FIG. 2(D), it is clearly described that when a UE sends a measurementreport to the gNB, the gNB verifies the unrestricted target cells and ifthe target cells are unrestricted, only in that case, the handover isdone. It is to be understood that the present invention by checking theallowed target cells ensures that a UE should stay within the allowedzone and while handing over the UE should not lose the services.

The below table shows that the mobility restrictions on the cell entriesin the NRT can be mapped to the entries available in the ANR as {TCI(PCI+ECGI), No remove, No HO, No X2, Forbidden}

TABLE 1 No NR TCI Remove No HO No X2 Forbidden 1 TCI#a ✓ ✓ ✓ 2 TCI#b ✓ 3TCI#c ✓

It is to be noted that similar entries can be added forNon-allowed/Allowed areas. One way to do this is to add a column forNon-allowed area (The TCI that have no ticks in Forbidden andNon-allowed areas are taken to be Allowed, by default).

Further, during inter-cell and Xn handover, the gNB uses thisinformation to ensure that the UE does not move to a cell that is listedas forbidden. However, it is to be noted that as the ANR isgNB-specific, to provision Mobility restriction information per UE, atable with {TCI, Mobility restriction} can be provided to the gNB (foreach UE connected to it) which is sent in the Initial Context SetupMessage.

In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3ldiscloses sending the neighbour cell restriction information (per UE) tothe UE. In this embodiment, the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictioninformation to the UE.

In this embodiment of the present invention, at step (301), an ATTACH(ACH) request message is sent to an AMF from the UE. At (302), the UE isauthenticated. The authentication of the UE can be done by the differentfunctions for different functionalities, wherein the AMF canauthenticate the UE for the Access functions wherein the PCFauthenticates the UE for different policy controls of the UE. The AMF at(303) verifies the UE subscription and location information. At (304)the policies for the UE mobility by a policy control function (PCF) isverified. After the verifications of the subscription, location andpolicy verification a Non-access stratum session management (NAS SM)command message is sent at (305) by the AMF to the UE wherein the NAS SMcommand comprises of mobility restrictions information. The mobilityrestrictions are stored in a database of the UE which could be a memory.At (307), the NAS SM complete message is sent by the UE to the AMF in anintegrity protected message. At (308(a)), the AMF verifies the integrityof the message and at (308(b)), the AMF verifies the replayed UEmobility restriction. It is to be understood that during handover, theUE sends the stored “UE Mobility Restrictions” to the gNB, which usesthis information to ensure that the UE doesn't move to a cell that isforbidden.

In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4,discloses sending the neighbour cell restriction information (per UE) tothe gNB. In this embodiment, the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictioninformation to the gNB.

In this embodiment of the present invention, at (401), an ATTACH requestmessage is sent to an AMF from the UE. At (402) the UE is authenticated.The authentication of the UE can be done by the different functions fordifferent functionalities, wherein the AMF can authenticate the UE forthe Access functions wherein the PCF authenticates the UE for differentpolicy controls of the UE. At (403), an NAS SM command message is sentto the AMF by the UE. The AMF upon receiving NAS SM command message. At(405), the AMF verifies the UE location information, gNB ID andintegrity of the E-UTRAN cell global identification (ECGI) list. Uponverification of the UE policies for UE mobility, the AMF at (406) sendsan Initial Context Setup Request message to the gNB in an N2 interfacebetween the AMF and the gNB. At (407), the UE mobility restrictions isstored in a database of the gNB which could be a memory. Upon storingthe UE mobility restrictions data, the gNB establishes AS Security at(408) with the UE wherein the UE acknowledges the AS security with thegNB. Therefore, the UE gNB uses the stored “UE Mobility Restrictions” toensure that the UE doesn't move to a cell that is forbidden.

However, there could be an issue with implementation of theabove-mentioned embodiments, separately, such as the UE could beinfected with malware. Therefore, another embodiment of the presentinvention is provided wherein both the UE and the gNB contain the UEmobility restrictions.

In this embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, at(501), an ATTACH request is sent to the AMF by a UE. At (502), the UE isauthenticated wherein if required an authentication and session keydistribution is performed. The authentication of the UE can be done bythe different functions for different functionalities, wherein the AMFcan authenticate the UE for the Access functions wherein the PCFauthenticates the UE for different policy controls of the UE. At (503),the UE subscription, location and policies are verified by the AMF andbased on the verification, the mobility restrictions are set. At (504),the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in a NAS SM commandmessage. At (505), the UE stores its mobility restrictions. At (506),the UE replays the mobility restrictions in an integrity protected NASSM complete message which is sent to the AMF. At (507), the AMF verifiesthe received mobility restrictions. At 508, the AMF sends the UEmobility restrictions to the gNB. The UE sends the mobility restrictionsto the gNB.

The gNB verifies it with the restriction information that it holds andthen makes the handover decision. If the restrictions do not match,then, it means that either the UE or eNB is rogue.

In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6,discloses provisioning of UE Mobility restrictions during mobility,which could be during the idle mode mobility.

In this embodiment of the present invention, at (601), a tracking areaupdate (TAU) procedure is triggered by the UE. At (602), the TAU requestis sent by the UE to the new AMF. At (603), the TAU request is furthersent to the gNB. At (604), a Context Request message is sent by the NewAMF to the old AMF. Upon receiving the Context Request message, the oldAMF at (605) sends the UE contexts to the new AMF. At (606), thelocation of the UE is updated by the new AMF to a unified datamanagement (UDM). At (607), a PCF verifies the policies for the UEmobility for new AMF. At (608), the New AMF updates the UE mobilityrestrictions to the gNB. At (609), the gNB stores the UE mobilityrestrictions in a database of the gNB which could be a memory. At (610),the gNB sends an acknowledgement (ACK) of UE mobility restriction updateto the new AMF. At (611), a TAU ACCEPT message is sent to the UE by thenew AMF. On reception of the TAU ACCEPT message, the UE mobilityrestrictions are stored at (612) on a database, which could be a memory,of the UE. At (613), a TAU COMPELTE message is sent by the UE to the newAMF. The TAU complete message comprises of UE mobility restrictions. Inthe present invention, during idle mode mobility, when there is anupdate of the location of the UE, the policies for UE mobility areverified with the PCF or any entity handling such information. Further,the UE Mobility restrictions are updated at the gNB using the UEMobility Restriction Update message.

Further, for an Xn handover the AMF sends the UE mobility restrictionsto the gNB in a path switch response and the UE mobility restrictions tothe UE in a handover command. In an N2 handover the AMF sends the UEmobility restrictions to the target gNB in a handover request and the UEmobility restrictions to the UE in a handover command.

The mobility restrictions are updated at the UE for every TAU and themobility restrictions of the UE are mapped with the TA wherein themapping information is stored with a tracking area identity (TAI) list.Further, when a tracking area (TA) is listed as Forbidden the handoveris rejected. Further, a source NG (R)AN requests the mobilityrestriction of the UE in a target NG (R)AN to the AMF before HandoverRequest is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

The present invention also provides a solution wherein the UE mobilityrestrictions are mapped with the TA. Therefore, if the mobilityrestriction are configured per TA, this information can be updated atthe UE after every TAU. This information can be stored along with theTAI List as shown in below table:

TABLE 2 TAI List TA1, Allowed TA2, Restricted TA3, Non-Allowed TA4,Allowed

Further, the document TS 36.413 V14.2.0 (2017-03) clause 8.3.1.2mentions

Handover Restriction List as an optional IE in Initial Context SetupMessage sent by the MME to the eNB. This IE consists of informationabout the forbidden TAs that the UE cannot be handed over to.

TS 23.501 V0.4.0 (2017-04) clause 5.3.4.1.1 mentions that, “InCM-CONNECTED state, the core network provides Mobility Restrictions tothe radio access network with a Handover Restriction List.”

However, in 5G, this IE has to be made mandatory. The gNB can use the{TAI, UE mobility restriction} along with the handover restriction toensure that a UE is not handed over to the forbidden zone.

Further, in restricting the HO to Forbidden Zone as shown in FIG. 7, incase of handover the UE needs to mandatorily send the UE MobilityRestriction Information (mandatorily integrity protected) to the sourcegNB. The gNB uses this information and the restrictions in the HandoverRestriction List to find if a TA is forbidden or not. If the TA islisted as Forbidden, then handover is rejected. In case the TA is notavailable in the TA list during mobility, the source NG (R)AN requeststhe mobility restriction of the UE in the target NG (R)AN to the AMFbefore Handover Request is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

The present invention also discloses a communication system comprisingof different means for sending a measurement report to next generationnodeB (gNB). The present invention also provides means for checkingmobility restriction on a target cell in an NR table stored in the gNBand for performing a handover on allowing the target cell by the gNB,for restricting handover to the cell on non-allowance of the target cellby the gNB; wherein on the non-allowance of the target cell by the gNB,the gNB notify the means to retransmit the measurement report. The meanstransmitting the measurement report to the gNB for further verificationof the allowed target cells wherein the mobility restrictions for thecells in the NR table are mapped to the entries of an ANR. The gNB sendsa request message comprising a setup request to an AMF for the mobilityrestrictions per target cell and updates the NR table on receiving theresponse from the AMF, wherein the response comprises of mobilityrestriction per target cell identifier. The gNB further sends a requestmessage comprising a configuration update to the AMF, and on receivingthe response from the AMF updating the NR table by changing the mobilerestriction per target cell identifier.

The present invention also discloses a communication system of awireless network, wherein the system comprises of different means forsending an ATTACH request message to an AMF. The present invention alsohave means for verifying a UE subscription and location information,means for verifying the policies for UE mobility, means for sending tothe UE an NAS SM command message wherein the NAS SM command comprises ofmobility restrictions information; means for storing the mobilityrestrictions in a database, means for sending NAS SM complete message tothe AMF in an integrity protected message, means for verifying thereceived mobility restrictions sent by the UE in the integrity protectedmessage and means for sending the UE mobility restrictions to a gNB.

The present invention further discloses a communication systemcomprising at least one UE and at least one gNB over a wireless network,the system comprises of different means for sending an ATTACH requestmessage to an AMF; for authenticating the UE; for sending an NAS SM tothe AMF; for verifying the UE location information, gNB ID and integrityof the ECGI list; for sending an Initial Context Setup Request messageto the gNB; for storing the UE mobility restrictions in a database; forestablishing AS Security with the UE; for acknowledging the AS securitywith the gNB.

The present invention also provides a communication system comprising atleast one UE and at least one gNB over a wireless network, wherein thesystem comprises of different means for triggering a TAU procedure; forsending a TAU request to a new AMF via the gNB; for sending a ContextRequest message to the old AMF wherein the old AMF sends the UE contextsto the new AMF; for updating the location of the UE to the UDM; forverifying the policies for UE mobility for new AMF; means for updatingthe UE mobility restrictions to the gNB; means for storing the UEmobility restrictions in a database of the gNB; for sending anacknowledgement of UE mobility restriction update to the new AMF; forsending a TAU ACCEPT message to the UE; for storing the UE mobilityrestrictions on a database of the UE; for sending a TAU COMPELTE messageto the new AMF. For an Xn handover the AMF sends the UE mobilityrestrictions to the gNB in a path switch response and the UE mobilityrestrictions to the UE in a handover command. However, in an N2 handoverthe AMF sends the UE mobility restrictions to the target gNB in ahandover request and the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in ahandover command. The mobility restrictions are updated at the UE forevery TAU and are mapped with the TA, wherein the mapping information isstored with a TAI list. When the TA is listed as Forbidden the handoveris rejected. However, a source NG (R)AN requests the mobilityrestriction of the UE in a target NG (R)AN to the AMF before HandoverRequest is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

The present invention also discloses a user equipment (810) for acommunication in a wireless/communication network (814) as illustratedin FIG. 8. A processor (812) is configured to send a measurement reportto next generation nodeB (gNB) (815), wherein the gNB (815) checks themobility restriction on a target cell in the NR table stored therein andperforming a handover on allowing the target cell by the gNB (815), thegNB (815) is further configured to restrict handover to the cell onnon-allowance of the target cell and wherein the gNB (815) causes theprocessor (812) to retransmit the measurement report through transceiver(811) on the non-allowance of the target cell. The gNB (815) is furtherconfigured to verify the allowed target cells on reception of themeasurement report from the processor (812) wherein the mobilityrestrictions for the cells in the NR table are mapped to the entries ofan ANR. The gNB is also configured to send a request message comprisinga setup request sent to an AMF (816) for the mobility restrictions pertarget cell and to update the NR table on receiving the response fromthe AMF (816), wherein the response comprises of mobility restrictionper target cell identifier. The gNB (815) is also configured to send arequest message comprising a configuration update sent to the AMF (816),and on receiving the response from the AMF (816), updating the NR tableby changing the mobile restriction per target cell identifier.

The present invention further discloses a user equipment (810) forcommunication in a wireless/communication network (814), wherein aprocessor (812) is configured to send an ATTACH request message to anAMF (816), the AMF (816) on authenticating the processor (812), isconfigured to verify the UE (810) subscription and location informationand a PCF (818) is configured to verify the policies for the processor(812), the processor (812) is further configured to receive an NAS SMcommand message from the AMF (816) wherein the NAS SM command comprisesof mobility restrictions information; a memory (813) configured to storethe mobility restrictions in a database of the UE (810); the processor(812) is configured to transmit an NAS SM complete message to the AMF(816) in an integrity protected message wherein the AMF (816) isconfigured to verify the received mobility restrictions transmitted bythe processor in the integrity protected message and sending the UEmobility restrictions to the gNB (815) by the AMF (816).

The present invention also discloses a user equipment (810) forcommunication in a wireless network (814) wherein a processor (812) isconfigured to send an ATTACH request message to an AMF (816) through atransceiver (811), the AMF (816) is configured to authenticate theprocessor (812), the processor (812) is further configured to send anNAS SM to the AMF (816) wherein the AMF (816) verifies the UE (810)location information, gNB ID and integrity of the ECGI list and sendingan Initial Context Setup Request message to the gNB (815) , wherein thegNB (815) comprises a memory for storing the UE mobility restrictions ina database and the gNB (815) is further configured to establish ASsecurity with the UE (810) wherein the UE acknowledges the AS securityto the gNB (815).

The present invention further provides a user equipment (810) forcommunication in a wireless/communication network (814) wherein aprocessor (812) is configured to trigger a TAU procedure and to transmita TAU request to the new AMF (816) via the gNB (815), the new AMF isconfigured to transmit a Context Request message to the old AMF whereinthe old AMF transmits the UE contexts to the new AMF, the new AMFupdates the location of the UE (810) to a UDM (817) and wherein a PCF(818) verifies the policies for UE mobility for the new AMF, the new AMFis further configured to update the UE mobility restrictions to the gNB(815), the gNB comprises a memory for storing the UE mobilityrestrictions in a database and configured to transmit an acknowledgementof UE mobility restriction update to the new AMF and causes the new AMFto transmit a TAU ACCEPT message to the UE, wherein the UE (810)comprises a database which could be a memory (813) for storing themobility restrictions and configured to transmit a TAU COMPELTE messageto the new AMF. For Xn handover the AMF is configured to transmit the UEmobility restrictions to the gNB (815) in a path switch response. TheAMF (816) is also configured to transmit the UE mobility restrictions tothe UE in a handover command. In an N2 handover the AMF (816) isconfigured to transmit the UE mobility restrictions to the target gNB ina handover request. In a handover command the AMF (816) is configured totransmit the UE mobility restrictions to the UE wherein the mobilityrestrictions are updated at the UE for every TAU and wherein themobility restrictions of the UE are mapped with the TA. The mappinginformation is stored with a TAI list wherein when the TA is listed asForbidden the handover is rejected. Further, a source NG (R)AN requeststhe mobility restriction of the UE in a target NG (R)AN to the AMF (816)before Handover Request is sent to the target NG (R)AN.

Advantages

The present disclosure provides secure provisioning of Mobilityrestriction to the UE & gNB in a given location and therefore preventingUE movement to restricted area during connected state. The presentinvention also maps the mobility restriction with Tracking area list andextending NR table functionalities. As will be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as a method,and apparatus. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form ofan entirely hardware embodiment, a software embodiment or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects.

It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors, or any other suchconfiguration.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the examplesdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storagemedium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can readinformation from, and write information to, the storage medium. In thealternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Theprocessor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention.Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widestscope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromIndian patent applications No. 201711018750, filed on May 29, 2017, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

810 user equipment

811 transceiver

812 processor

813 memory

814 wireless network

815 gNB

816 AMF

817 UDM

818 PCF

1. A method of a user equipment (UE) for a communication in a wirelessnetwork, the method comprising: sending a measurement report to nextgeneration nodeB (gNB); wherein UE mobility restriction on a target cellin a neighbour relation (NR) table stored in the gNB is checked; ahandover based on allowance of the target cell by the gNB is performed;and a handover to the target cell based on non-allowance of the targetcell by the gNB is restricted, wherein the method further comprising:receiving a notification from the gNB to retransmit the measurementreport on the non-allowance of the target cell by the gNB.
 2. The methodas claimed in claim 1, wherein the allowed target cells on reception ofthe measurement report from the UE are verified by the gNB.
 3. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the UE mobility restrictions forthe cells in the NR table are mapped to entries of an automaticneighbour relation function (ANR).
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1,wherein a SETUP request to an access management function (AMF) for theUE mobility restrictions per target cell is included in a requestmessage which is sent by the gNB.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1,wherein the NR table is updated by the gNB on receiving a response fromthe AMF, and the response comprises of the UE mobility restriction pertarget cell identifier.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein arequest message comprising a configuration update to the AMF is sent bythe gNB, and on receiving a response from the AMF updating the NR tableby changing the mobile restriction per target cell identifier. 7-8.(canceled)
 9. A communication method in between at least one UE and atleast one gNB over a wireless network, the method comprising: triggeringa tracking area update (TAU) procedure by the UE; sending a TAU requestby the UE to a new AMF via the gNB; sending a Context Request message bythe New AMF to an old AMF wherein the old AMF sends the UE contexts tothe new AMF; updating the location of the UE by the new AMF to a unifieddata management (UDM); verifying the policies for UE mobility by the PCFfor new AMF; updating the UE mobility restrictions by the new AMF to thegNB; storing the UE mobility restrictions in a database of the gNB;sending an acknowledgement of UE mobility restriction update by the gNBto the new AMF; sending a TAU ACCEPT message to the UE by the new AMF;storing the UE mobility restrictions on a database of the UE; sending aTAU COMPELTE message by the UE to the new AMF.
 10. The communicationmethod as claimed in claim 9, wherein for Xn handover, the AMF comprisessending the UE mobility restrictions to the gNB in a path switchresponse.
 11. The communication method as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe AMF is sending the UE mobility restrictions to the UE in a handovercommand.
 12. The communication method as claimed in claim 9, wherein inan N2 handover, the AMF comprises sending the UE mobility restrictionsto the target gNB in a handover request.
 13. The communication method asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the AMF comprises sending the UE mobilityrestrictions to the UE in a handover command.
 14. The communicationmethod as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mobility restrictions areupdated at the UE for every TAU.
 15. The communication method as claimedin claim 9, wherein the mobility restrictions of the UE are mapped withthe TA.
 16. (canceled)
 17. The communication method as claimed in claim9, wherein a tracking area (TA) is listed as Forbidden. 18-38.(canceled)
 39. A user equipment for a communication in a wirelessnetwork comprising: a processor configured to send a measurement reportto next generation nodeB (gNB) wherein UE mobility restriction on atarget cell in an NR table stored in the gNB is checked by the gNB and ahandover based on allowance of the target cell by the gNB is performed,a handover to the target cell based on non-allowance of the target cellis restricted by the gNB, wherein further comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive a notification from the gNB to retransmit themeasurement report on the non-allowance of the target cell by the gNB.40. The user equipment as claimed in claim 39, wherein the allowedtarget cells on reception of the measurement report from the processorare verified by the gNB.
 41. The user equipment as claimed in claim 39,wherein the UE mobility restrictions for the cells in the NR table aremapped to the entries of an ANR.
 42. The user equipment as claimed inclaim 39, wherein a setup request to an AMF for the UE mobilityrestrictions per target cell is included in a request message which issent by the gNB.
 43. The user equipment as claimed in claim 39, whereinthe NR table is updated by the gNB on receiving a response from the AMF,wherein the response comprises of the UE mobility restriction per targetcell identifier.
 44. The user equipment as claimed in claim 39, whereina request message comprising a configuration update to the AMF is sentby the gNB, and on receiving a response from the AMF updating the NRtable by changing the mobile restriction per target cell identifier.45-58. (canceled)
 59. A next generation nodeB (gNB) for a communicationin a wireless network comprising: a processor configured to receive ameasurement report from user equipment (UE); and configured to check UEmobility restriction on a target cell in an NR table stored in the gNB;wherein a handover based on allowance of the target cell by the gNB isperformed, the gNB is further configured to restrict a handover to thetarget cell based on non-allowance of the target cell; and configured tonotify the UE to retransmit the measurement report on the non-allowanceof the target cell by the gNB.
 60. The gNB as claimed in claim 59,wherein the gNB is configured to verify the allowed target cells onreception of the measurement report from the processor.
 61. The userequipment as claimed in claim 39, wherein the UE mobility restrictionsfor the cells in the NR table are mapped to entries of an ANR.
 62. Theuser equipment as claimed in claim 39, wherein the gNB is configured tosend a request message comprising a setup request to an AMF for the UEmobility restrictions per target cell.
 63. The user equipment as claimedin claim 39, wherein the gNB is configured to update the NR table onreceiving a response from the AMF, wherein the response comprises of theUE mobility restriction per target cell identifier.
 64. The userequipment as claimed in claim 39, wherein the gNB is configured to senda request message comprising a configuration update to the AMF, and onreceiving a response from the AMF updating the NR table by changing themobile restriction per target cell identifier.